Punjab Sunehri
A PAU variety with medium, round, slightly flattened fruit, yellowish-green netted skin and firm, sweet, deep orange flesh; more transportable than Hara Madhu and widely grown in the north-west.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- First harvest ~85–95 days
- Expected yield
- 18–22 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance claimed
- Release
- Released by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Punjab Sunehri is an open-pollinated muskmelon from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, developed as a more transportable alternative to Hara Madhu. The fruit is medium and round, slightly flattened, with a yellowish-green netted skin and firm, sweet, deep orange flesh. The netting and firmer flesh let it stand handling and medium-distance transport better than the smooth-skinned very-sweet types, so it is a mainstay of the north-west commercial crop. It matures at about 85–95 days.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Punjab Sunehri if you want a sweet, firm, deep orange melon that travels better than Hara Madhu and with seed you can save. PAU developed it as a more transportable alternative: medium, round, slightly flattened fruit with yellowish-green netted skin. It takes about 85–95 days, the card shows 18–22 t/ha, and it has no special disease resistance. It ripens together and does not store. Choose Punjab Hybrid for uniform grade, Hara Madhu for nearby sweetness, Pusa Sharbati for a classic aromatic melon.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Netted skin and firm flesh — stands handling and medium-distance transport well
- Sweet, deep orange flesh; reliable yield in the north-west
- Open-pollinated, so seed can be saved
Things to consider
- No special disease resistance — downy and powdery mildew and the fruit fly still need managing
- Best suited to the north-west; ripens together and does not store
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Himachal Pradesh
- Uttar Pradesh
Split your field by where each melon will be sold
Punjab Sunehri was developed as a more transportable alternative to Hara Madhu. Its netted skin and firm flesh stand handling and medium-distance transport.
If you have two kinds of buyer, one nearby and one farther away, you can sow both. Put Hara Madhu in a small block for the nearby buyers who pay for pure sweetness, and put Punjab Sunehri in the larger block for the farther trader or mandi.
That way each fruit goes to the market it suits. Sow each block in two lots a week or two apart, because Punjab Sunehri also ripens together and does not store.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Muskmelon (Kharbuja) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Jeet | Small single-serve melon, resistant to powdery mildew | First harvest ~80–85 days | About 17 t/ha | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu |
| Arka Rajhans | Powdery-mildew resistant melon with good keeping quality | First harvest ~90–100 days | 20–25 t/ha | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana |
| Durgapura Madhu | Hardy open-pollinated melon for dry land and river beds | First harvest ~80–90 days | 15–22 t/ha | Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh |
| Hara Madhu | Very sweet melon for nearby markets only | First harvest ~90–100 days | 15–20 t/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan |
| Punjab Hybrid | Uniform F1 melon for the commercial north-west crop | First harvest ~80–90 days | 22–28 t/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan |
| Punjab Sunehrithis page | Netted, transportable open-pollinated melon, north-west staple | First harvest ~85–95 days | 18–22 t/ha | Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh |
| Pusa Sharbati | Classic sweet, aromatic melon for north and central India | First harvest ~85–90 days | 15–20 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Muskmelon (Kharbuja) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Muskmelon (Kharbuja) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Muskmelon (Kharbuja) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Muskmelon (Kharbuja) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Muskmelon (Kharbuja) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Muskmelon (Kharbuja) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Muskmelon (Kharbuja) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Why choose Sunehri over Hara Madhu?
The netted skin and firmer flesh stand handling and medium-distance transport. Hara Madhu is sweeter but its thin skin breaks down within a day or two, so it only suits nearby markets.
Where is Punjab Sunehri best grown?
It is best suited to the north-west. The recommended states are Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Outside that belt, try a small strip first.
How should I plan the harvest?
The crop ripens together and the fruit does not store, so line up your transport and buyers before picking starts. A big block sown on one day gives one big glut, so sow in two lots a week or two apart.
Which diseases and pests should I watch?
No special resistance is claimed, so watch downy and powdery mildew and fruit fly. For fruit fly, plough to expose pupae, destroy damaged fruit and use traps, as TNAU advises.
Can I save Punjab Sunehri seed?
Yes, it is open-pollinated. Keep seed from healthy, well-netted, sweet fruit and keep the plot away from other melons so they do not cross.
Sourced from: TNAU Agritech Portal — Muskmelon. editorial policy.